


Love in Cherry Blossoms

by Jee_Eun



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cancer, Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Major Illness, Not Beta Read, Sad Ending, it's cute I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23567770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jee_Eun/pseuds/Jee_Eun
Summary: She intrigued him.  A young girl, around his own age, wandering through the shop, looking at different things longingly but never picking anything to buy.  Maybe that was what pushed him to go talk to her.Or Jaehyun falls in love with a cancer patient.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Original Female Character(s), Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Reader
Kudos: 10





	Love in Cherry Blossoms

Jaehyun originally had no plans of coming to the Coex Artium. He had been wandering around, doing some thinking, when he had arrived. The moment he realized where he was, he knew he should leave. It was risky being here where anyone could recognize him under the cough mask and expose him to fans that would chase him until he physically couldn’t run any longer. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. She intrigued him. A young girl, around his own age, wandering through the shop, looking at different things longingly but never picking anything to buy. Maybe that was what pushed him to go talk to her. 

“Can’t find anything you like?” he asked her. She jumped a bit at his sudden appearance.

“Quite the opposite actually,” her eyes gave away the smile she held underneath her cough mask, “There’s plenty here that I like.”

“Can’t make a decision then, or can’t afford?” he cringed at how forward and rude he sounded, “That came out wrong.”

“It did,” she shrugged it off, “I can afford, I just don’t need anything.”

“It’s okay to buy things you want, even if you don’t need them. It’s good to have things to enjoy in life,” he stated, “Why not just buy it?”

He pointed to a small plushy she had been looking at.

“While that’s true, I don’t have a lot of time to enjoy it,” she shrugged, “Why waste the money?”

He looked at her quizzically, “Not a lot of time?”

He glanced up at him and then at something next to him before wandering down the next aisle.

“I have cancer, terminal. The doctors told me that I only have two years left a couple months ago,” she explained, “I used my wish to come here for a while before I spend my final months back home. No need to give my family any extra pain with something else that I had once enjoyed.”

Jaehyun was speechless. 

“It’s okay,” she added once she saw the look in his eyes, “I’ve accepted my fate.”

“Still, I’m sorry that you have to go through this,” Jaehyun’s heart ached for the girl. She had to be around his own age, maybe a little younger, and to go through such pain. He couldn’t fathom it.

“Thank you,” she continued to wander through the aisles, pausing at different things she liked. Jaehyun didn’t what compelled him to ask but he felt the need to spend more time with her.

“Want to go out for dinner? You aren’t from here and I happen to know a killer restaurant down the block,” Jaehyun offered.

“Do you promise not to kill me and sell my organs on the Black Market?” she asked.

Jaehyun blinked, “What?”

“Do you promise not to kill me, kidnap me, or rape me?” she asked bluntly.

“I promise,” Jaehyun said solemnly.

“Then I don’t see why not,” she held out her hand, “I’m Jina but you can call me Jace.”

“Jace?” Jaehyun asked, confused, taking her hand and shaking it.

“I’m Korean and my Korean name is Jina, but I grew up in America and my parents gave me then English name Jacee but I shortened it to Jace,” she stated.

He nodded in understanding, “You can call me Jay.”

“Alright then Jay, show me this killer restaurant,” Jace grinned. 

Jaehyun led her to a small restaurant that was used to idols coming in and that had really good food. The hostess greeted him with a smile and asked if he wanted a back room or was only there for take out.

“Backroom today auntie, I brought a friend,” Jaehyun gestured to Jace.

“Ah, you rascal! Bringing your girlfriend here!” she grinned before leading them to the back where several tables were kept private for idols.

“We’re not dating auntie,” Jaehyun protested.

“That’s what they all say,” she winked. Jaehyun sighed and decided not to press the matter.

“Thank you auntie,” Jace said.

The hostess left them with two menus and a promise to send her daughter to take their orders.

After that dinner flowed smoothly, the two kept up conversation easily and once she took off the mask, he could see just how pretty she was. 

Once dinner ended and he had settled the bill (after much protest from her), she spoke up.

“You know, I didn’t recognize you at first. I’m not a big NCTzen, if it wasn’t for a giant poster on the wall behind you, I don’t think I would have recognized you,” she confessed, “Don’t worry, I won’t sell you out or anything.”

“I didn’t think you would,” Jaehyun stated, “Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you out tonight.” 

“Fair enough,” she mused, “I’ll be off now.”

“Where are you staying? You said you’re from America, are you staying with relatives?” Jaehyun surprised himself by asking.

“Nah, I’m adopted. I’m staying in a hotel,” she grinned, “Why? Want to have a steamy makeout session?”

Jaehyun laughed, “No, I wanted to make sure you’ll be alright going home alone, but now I think that I ought to walk you back.”

“It’s fine, I’m a big girl,” she cocked her head to the side, “I don’t want to inconvenience you or anything.”

“Going back to the dorm for me means going back to a bunch of rowdy boys,” Jaehyun pointed out, “I’m fine with not going back right away.”

“Then I suppose you could walk me home,” she teased, “Besides, going back to someone is better than going back to no one.”

Jaehyun had never thought about it that way.

“You’re right,” Jaehyun hummed, “I’ve always been so focused on how annoying they are that I never realized how nice it is to go home to a house full of people that love me.”

“You never know what you have until you lose it, or in this case, until someone else points it out,” she grinned, “Don’t worry, I’m guilty of that too.”

He didn’t question it and instead just gestured for her to lead the way.

They continued to talk as she led them to her hotel which turned out to be a capsule hotel.

“You’re staying here/” Jaehyun asked in disbelief.

“It’s cheap,” she shrugged, “And I can check out anytime to go to a different one if I want.”

“You’re sick,” Jaehyun stared at her.

“So?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t you be staying in an actual hotel?” Jaehyun asked, disbelief coating his voice.

“This option is cheaper and those places require set reservations. I’m travelling through Seoul for now but what happens when I want to visit Busan or Jeju?” she answered like her reasons were obvious. 

Jaehyun made a split second decision that he was sure to regret.

“You’re checking out and staying with me,” Jaehyun stated.

Her eyes widened, “No! I couldn’t impose like that!” 

“It’s not imposing if I’m offering is it?” he asked.

“What about your members?” He hadn’t noticed earlier but she was at the perfect height for back hugs. “You didn’t ask them?”

“They won’t mind a pretty girl in the dorm, trust me,” Jaehyun assured her.

“So you think I’m pretty?” He could sense her smirk underneath the cough mask. 

Jaehyun faltered, “I mean, yeah.” He coughed. “Haven’t you looked in a mirror?”

“I have, plenty of times actually. I used to be quite vain,” she shrugged, “Being sick has taught me that beauty is only temporary. I’m already losing weight.”

“The point remains that you’re pretty and I’m sure the guys won’t mind you staying with us for now,” Jaehyun changed the topic back.

Jace still looked unsure.

“I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer. You’re sick and deserve to stay someplace nicer where you can stay and relax on a rainy day,” Jaehyun insisted.

“Fine,” she sighed, “I’ll go get my stuff.”

He followed her inside the capsule hotel. Inside the capsule itself, she only had her charger and a water bottle that she took. For luggage she had a large suitcase and a backpack. 

“Alright, that’s it,” she grinned, tucking the charger and water bottle inside the backpack. 

“You go check out,” he shooed her away as he took her suitcase and backpack.

“Alright, I’ll be right out,” as she disappeared around the corner, he took her luggage out front where he took out his phone from his pocket and texted his members that he was bringing someone back and to be on their best behavior. He doubted they would actually read his text and follow it but he at least tried. 

“Alright, lead the way Mr. Gentleman,” she cheered trying to grab her suitcase from him.

“Nope, I”m taking this, you are simply going to follow,” he said, tightening his grip on the handle.

“But I feel bad making you carry all of my stuff for me,” she protested.

“I am a gentleman and you are a sick lady. I will be carrying the luggage,” Jaehyun stated. She frowned. 

“Fine,” she conceded and followed him towards the dorm. 

The dorm was as chaotic as ever, with several of the members in front of the TV playing Mario Kart and Taeyong and Doyoung in the kitchen bickering over food. 

“I’m back,” he called out, taking off his shoes and slipping his feet into his slippers. He was ignored.

After handing Jace the spare pair of slippers they keep in the dorm, he took her suitcase and backpack and made his way towards the bedrooms with Jace close behind him.

“Jaehyun! Come help me beat these punks at Mario Kart!” Johnny called from the couch. 

“Maybe later hyung,” Jaehyun responded as Johnny fell victim to Donghyuck and Mark. 

“Jaehyun, where did you go? You said you would be going for a walk and were gone for hours!” Taeyong called from the kitchen.

“Check your phone, I texted you,” Jaehyun answered. Jungwoo poked his head through his door.

“Hyung, who’s this? And why do you have a suitcase and backpack?” he asked.

“Someone else is here?” Taeil’s door opened.

Immediately chaos erupted. Taeyong came storming in from the kitchen while Doyoung shrieked about the food, Johnny, Donghyuck, Mark, and Yuta all clambered over each other in an attempt to get into the hall. 

“This is Jace and I have a suitcase and backpack because this is her stuff,” he answered Jungwoo while moving Jace behind him to protect her from Johnny, Donghyuck, Mark, and Yuta.

“Jaehyun, are you insane?” Taeyong hissed, “You could get in so much trouble!”

“There’s nothing in our contracts about dating hyung,” Jaehyun reassured Taeyong, “And there aren’t any rules about bringing people here.”

“Jaehyun!” Taeyong was visibly upset.

“Hyung, she has cancer. I couldn’t just let her stay in a capsule hotel,” he protested.

Taeyong faltered, his leader side backing down as his mother hen mode activated.

“Cancer?” he whimpered.

“Terminal,” Jace added helpfully, peeking out from behind Jaehyun, “Hi, I’m Jace.” She gave a small little wave. 

It didn’t take long for Taeyong to melt after that. 

Meanwhile, Johnny, Yuta, Donghyuck, and Mark were all still attempting to make it out of the living room where they were all stepping on each other and yelling. 

“Come on, I’ll bring you up to my room,” Jaehyun murmured, taking her hand and leading her upstairs to his own room. 

Jaehyun’s room wasn’t anything special. He had a large bed and nice desk with a PC on it. Other than that, he didn’t really have much in his room. There were a couple of pictures on the walls of him and his family but that was it. 

“It’s nice, minimalistic,” Jace commented. 

“You can stay here for now,” Jaehyun put her bags down by the desk. Jace whirled around to stare at him.

“No,” she protested, “This is your room, you don’t have to give up your bed for me.”

“I want to,” Jaehyun pointed out, “You aren’t making me do anything.”

“But I still feel bad!” she frowned. 

Downstairs there was a loud crashing noise followed by Taeyong yelling.

“Don’t,” Jaehyun said, “Now come on. Taeyong probably is going to want us down for dinner, even if we already ate.”

Jaehyun was right. Taeyong wanted them both down for dinner so that he could chew Jaehyun out for staying out for so long and so he could interrogate Jace. 

Taeyong asked her everything and anything, from pets to favorite color to what type of cancer she had to what she wanted to do with her life at one point. Jaehyun had initially worried that she would take offense or get depressed by some of his questions but she took it all in stride, answering all of them. 

Eventually, Doyoung stopped him from asking anymore questions, “Hyung, she’s going to be staying here for a while, you don’t have to crowd her.”

“You’re right, that was careless of me, sorry Jace,” Taeyong gave her a sincere smile, “I got a little carried away.”

“It’s alright,” she grinned, “It was nice to have someone talk to me like I’m a normal person and not just a cancer patient.”

Towards the end of the meal Donghyuck threw out the question. 

“Why do you still have hair if you’re a cancer patient?”

Immediately Johnny, Taeyong, Doyoung, and Jaehyun started to scold him. 

“You can’t just ask people why they have hair!” Johnny’s voice was horrified.

“Donghyuck! That was rude!” Doyoung sounded furious.

“Donghyuck!” Taeyong somehow managed to fit all of his annoyance and frustration with the boy in the two syllables.

“Don’t be mean to her Donghyuck,” Jaehyun’s voice was exasperated.

“Damn, it was just a question,” Donghyuck held his arms up in surrender. Jace just laughed.

“I still have my hair because I didn’t go through chemo. The doctors told me that chemo would merely extend my life another seven months and I decided that I’d rather keep my hair and die naturally than lose my hair to live an extra seven months in pain,” Jace answered. 

“Respectable,” Donghyuck accepted the answer and shoved one last mouthful in his mouth, “Damn, I’m stuffed! The food was good as always Taeyong-hyung!”

“I cooked too, you brat!” Doyoung snarled. 

Things settled into a routine after that. Jaehyun and another member or two would take Jace out to explore Korea and all of it’s wonders. They first brought her to all the different sights in Seoul, introducing her to the city. When they visited Gangnam, she immediately decided that she had to go shopping and visited nearly every shop. She bought a few things, mostly stuff for her friends and family that she thought they would like and Jaehyun and Taeyong happily carried all of the bags for her. 

After that, Red Velvet had a comeback and they insisted on bringing her to her first K-Pop concert. They even went as far as to bring her backstage to meet Red Velvet, and all the other idols present. She had been extremely excited to meet all the different idols, especially Red Velvet’s Joy. 

Jaehyun made sure to bring her to every single part of Korea worth seeing. Donghyuck gave her a personal tour of Jeju Island and the members took turns bringing her to their favorite parts of Korea that were hidden gems. They made sure to bring her to all the tourist sites as well, ensuring that she would get the best experience. Without even knowing it, Jaehyun found himself falling. 

When spring came, Jaehyun and Yuta brought Jace to a large Cherry Blossom festival, much to her delight. Seeing her underneath the trees, smiling brightly made him realize just how much he loved her. He overheard her confiding in Yuta that Cherry Blossoms were actually some of her favorite flowers, right after lilies. If Jaehyun bought her a bouquet of lilies despite them being out of season, well that was nobody’s business but his own. 

Soon after was her birthday, which was quietly celebrated among NCT members. She received several birthday wishes from friends and family back home and even more the different idols that she had met and befriended. Taeil even joked that she was more popular than they were among other idols. 

When they brought her to Gyeongsangnam-do, she made the request to visit Jinju, which was odd, but quickly accepted by Jaehyun and Sicheng who had decided to make this trip with them. Once in Jinju, she visited all the different sites before making her way to a hospital. 

“Why did you want to come here?” Jaehyun asked her.

“This is where it all started. I was born in a bathtub before being brought to a hospital. Shortly after my mom and I were released, she put me up for adoption,” Jace explained, “I wanted to see it and the path that she took before giving me away.”

Jaehyun was amazed that she wasn't crying. Jaehyun and Sicheng dutifully followed her to the orphanage where she donated a large sum of money before moving on. 

One Saturday, Jace was up bright and early. It wasn’t really surprising as she was always up bright and early, but this time she stated that she had plans. She disappeared for several hours that day, leaving them all wondering where she was and what she was up to. When she finally returned, it was with a grin on her face. 

“So what did you do all day?” Jaehyun asked when they were alone in his room that night.

“I auditioned for SM just to see if I could do it,” she giggled. Jaehyun looked at her incredulously.

“You went to the Saturday Audition?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, just for fun. I know I can’t be an idol, I don’t have that sort of time. I just wanted to know if I would pass or not,” she grinned. 

“What happened?” Jaehyun asked, curious.

“Not much. I sang two songs, a couple of other people went and then they had everyone else leave while they asked me questions. They took down my contact info and that was it,” she shrugged.

“That means you’ll probably make it in,” Jaehyun gaped at her. To pass SM’s notorious Saturday Audition, that was a feat within itself. As a trainee, he never met anyone that got in through the Saturday Audition. 

“You think?” she asked, looking up at him, “You’re not just joking with me, right?”

“I think,” Jaehyun confirmed. Jace grinned.

And damn if that wasn’t a sight. 

Jace did get into SM but passed up the opportunity as she wouldn’t be able to actually debut or anything but just hearing that she passed was enough to make her smile for three days straight and join Jungwoo in teasing the rest of the members. 

Three days after that, it was time for her to return home. She would be spending the rest of her days in the comfort of her own home. She told them that was how she had originally planned it before she had met them. The goodbye was teary and if Jaehyun cried, well, that was nobody’s business but his own. 

Right before her plane departed he checked her Instagram once again. There was a pact among the idols who knew her to not follow her until she passed unless a cure was found. If she was going to die, they would let her live out the rest of her life in peace. 

She had changed her bio. It used to say her high school and graduation year along with her college and graduation year even though she dropped out. Now it said  _ “JJH 02.14.1997” _ .

His heart broke a little bit inside.

They texted everyday for a little over 5 months when the call came.

“Hello, is this Jaehyun?” the voice on the other side of the phone was male and unfamiliar.

“Yeah, who is this?” he asked.

“My name is Luke. I’m Jace’s older brother,” the voice on the other side of the phone sounded strained and raw.

“Did she?” Jaehyun couldn’t even finish his question. He didn’t have to.

“Yeah. Last night, she died in her sleep,” the voice on the other side got choked up, “She, um, she really loved you. I thought you should know. And she made me swear to call you after she passed and tell you when the funeral is.”

Jaehyun didn’t even realize he was crying until he licked his lips and tasted salt. 

“I loved her too,” he started to sob. 

Jace’s wake was supposed to be a small affair. After several idols were seen in the airport at once, heading to America, it raised suspicion. They were followed to the wake, much to Jaehyun’s annoyance. 

Jace’s wake was held inside a church. Even though Jace wasn’t religious, the church was the only place large enough to hold enough people for her wake aside from the grocery store. He could see why. The line zigzagged through the pews of the church and still managed to go outside onto the street. 

He was sure this had never been seen in America before either, several Korean idols standing outside a church, waiting to pay respects to the deceased that they weren’t even supposed to know. What was even worse was the fact that he hadn’t even made it in the door and he was crying. 

He wasn’t the only one. In front of him, a boy was sobbing as another boy held him up and whispered words of encouragement in his ear. 

The wait seemed to last forever before he finally made it to her. 

His world seemed to stop and shatter. He knew she had wanted to be cremated, but knowing and seeing were two completely different things.

The urn was simple and yet elegant but Jaehyun knew that she would not be residing there for long. She had wanted to be turned into a diamond for someone to wear as a necklace or ring or something. 

He couldn’t take it. He started to sob. The rest of the wake seemed to pass in a blur. Jace’s parents welcomed him like family, making him cry even more before he was suddenly outside with Johnny holding him up. They stayed in America for a week. Jaehyun spent most of his time exploring the places that she told him about in her hometown. He visited the diner that she liked on Main Street, her favourite restaurant known for having a beautiful view and even the place she liked to play mini golf at with her dad. 

At the reading of her will, Jaehyun was shocked to find that she left him stuff. He didn’t know that he could cry so much until then. 

He changed his own Instagram bio to match hers,  _ “HJN 04.19.1999-11.28.2020” _ . 

Jace’s phone was full of pictures. After she died she left him her phone and all of her passwords. Her Instagram was always blowing up now that everyone followed her and posted pictures in her memory, tagging her. Seeing the pictures made him cry again. He posted his favorite where she was taking a mirror selfie with him behind her, both of them showing off their phone cases. 

Both of them had simple clear phone cases with a polaroid in it. Jaehyun’s was a picture of Jace and Jace had a picture of him. 

Soon after he found her notes app where she left him a long letter telling him how much she loved him but thought he deserved better than a girl with her days on a countdown. He didn’t care.

A month after her death he received the ring in the mail. When they had been debating what to do with the diamond that she was to be turned into, her family asked Jaehyun for his opinion. He told them that they should turn her into a Claddagh Ring like the one she always wore on her thumb. 

They did and sent him the ring. It wasn’t in his ring size, not even close. But it was in Jace’s so he wore it on a chain around his neck, only taking it off to shower. 

_ Soompi News: _ NCT’s Jaehyun Talks About Dating in Recent Interview 

NCT’s Jaehyun has long been known for only following one person on Instagram and even put her in his bio on all of his personal social media. After years of fans wondering about the person, Jaehyun finally opened up about her. 

In a recent interview with GQ, Jaehyun revealed that he wasn’t interested in dating saying: “I already gave my heart away. It wouldn’t be fair for me to date anyone else when I could never love them the way I love her.”

When asked who he was talking about, he answered that he was talking about Jace Han, a girl that he fell in love with after spending six months with her back in 2020 before her untimely death. After her death, he decided to never date. 

In the interview he said, “I loved her with everything in me. Her death shattered me and I couldn’t function properly for months. I know that she loved me too and that if her days weren’t numbered, we would be together right now.” 

He was likely referring to the long hiatus he took starting in 2021 before taking his military enlistment early. 

Jaehyun also revealed that the ring he wears on a chain around her neck is special to him because of her. The ring garnered attention when it was revealed that Jaehyun wore it all throughout his military service and continued to wear it in all of NCT’s music videos. Fans noted that he never seemed to take it off. 

Jaehyun revealed that the ring is in Jace’s ring size and is a Claddagh Ring based off of the ring that Jace herself wore before death. He also stated that if he had the opportunity to propose to her, he would have done so with a Claddagh Ring. 

**Author's Note:**

> It's a little choppy at parts but I couldn't get this idea out of my head after a friend prompted me so here's a word vomit. 
> 
> I'm sorry.


End file.
